Experience and Education

Dear Families,

Last week, our fifth and sixth graders traveled to the Ashokan Center in the Catskills for three days of outdoor and experiential education.

These are certainly core values that are well aligned with the LREI mission. Since the school’s inception, the notion of having students engage in direct experiences (i.e., going to the woods as opposed to simply staying in the classroom and learning about the woods) has been seen as a crucial pathway for developing student knowledge and skills. In this work we are guided by the assumption that our educational goals can be effectively met by allowing the nature of the learner’s educational experience to influence the educational process. At the same time, we are well aware that experiences alone are not in and of themselves inherently good for learning. The progressive educator therefore seeks to arrange particular sets of experiences, which are conducive towards particular educational goals. For the Ashokan trip, there are a number of underlying goals:

  1. To build community between the fifth and sixth grade classes
  2. To help students to better understand the impact that humans have on the natural world and the responsibilities that come with this interaction
  3. To learn skills to allow one to move with minimal impact through the natural world
  4. To gain insight into the value of labor and work that is often hidden or held at arms length in our consumer driven society

With these principals in mind, fifth and sixth graders:

  • participated in a series of adventure-based activities in which group participants got to know one another better and learned how to work through difficult adventure-based challenges. The activities required problem-solving skills, determination and cooperation. They challenged students mentally, physically and socially, and required total cooperation and participation.
  • took a night walk through the woods and a participated in a community-drumming workshop.
  • experienced the “Age of Homespun” at the Ashokan pioneer homestead. They hiked out to visit the log house and joined the daily life of the Homesteader. Activities included cooking, spinning, shingle splitting, woodcutting, and games of the era.
  • experienced blacksmithing, broommaking and tinsmithing. These activities put an emphasis on the apprentice system. The concept of community, roles people had within the community, how these roles have changed, and how the Industrial Revolution changed our lives were explored.
  • participated in an “Orienteering and Survival Afternoon.” In teh woods, they learned the basics of Wilderness Preparedness, Fire Building, Shelter, First Aid, and Wild Edibles. Through games and practice, students also learned to use topographic maps and compasses to find their way. This may included a hike through the forest, use of the Ashokan compass course, “bushwhacking” to find a location on a map, and games on the field. Plant and animal communities, which make up each forest type, were also examined through observation and first-hand experience.
  • participated in the “New Games Festival: These were fun, challenging activities which gave the students experiences that developed a sense of trust and cooperation among the group. These games were designed to de-emphasize competition, encourage creative play, spontaneity, participation and use of the imagination.
  • participated in the “Ashokan Scavenger Hunt.” In this activity, students put all of their Ashokan skills to work. They used orienteering skills, their knowledge of survival skills and an appreciation of the environment to navigate their way through the hunt.

All in all, a mission worthy endeavor!

Click here to view the photo gallery for the trip.

This Week’s Attachments
General:
Eighth Grade:
DC Trip Registration Form
Seventh Grade:
Williamsburg Itinerary, Packing List and Permission Form
Fifth and Sixth Grade:

Of General Interest . . .
1) Click here for important information for current families applying another child to LREI.

2) Please read the attached letter from the PA Literary and Multicultural committees.

3) The annual LREI Halloween Fair is just around the corner (Sunday, October 26). Volunteers are still needed. For more information, please read the attached flyer.

4) The Adoption Committee will host its First Annual Fall Potluck Picnic on Sunday, Oct. 19th – 12:00 – 3:00 at The Teardrop Park in Battery Park City near Chambers St. In case of rain we will gather at the Adler’s apartment 345 W 13th St., Apt. 5E, (bet 8th and Hudson). For more information or to RSVP call or email Denise at – 917-455-8302 or deniseadler@mac.com.

5) The Asian American Families Committee will host a potluck breakfast on Thursday, October 23, 2008 at 8:00AM in the Sixth Avenue Cafeteria. A sign up sheet will be posted on the bulletin board near the receptionist.

6) LREI Family Book Night is scheduled for Wednesday, November 5th at 6:30PM in the Charlton Street PAC. The theme for this year’s event is Beyond Batman: Graphic Novels for Kids and Teens. This year, your LREI librarians have teamed up with some of today’s hottest authors and illustrators of graphic novel to present an enlightening and enlivening evening of graphic novel recommendations for all ages. Along with the traditional recommendations from the librarians, Jesse Karp (Early Childhood and Interdivisional Librarian) will be moderating a Graphic Novels panel. Panelists will include Holly Black (The Good Neighbors: Kin, Beyond Spiderwick, Tithe) Cecil Castellucci (The Plain Janes, Janes in Love, Beige, Boy Proof) Geoffrey Hayes (Benny and Penny) Steven Sheinkin (The Adventures of Rabbi Harvey, Rabbi Harvey Rides Again) and LREI parent Voltaire (Deady Bear, Oh My Goth). A selection of the recommended titles will be for sale. We welcome an audience of third grade and up. Children of all ages are welcome; there will be childcare available for the younger set, with pizza and story reading.

7) From the Big Auction Committee: Save the Date!

LREI’s 2009 Big Auction
March 5, 2009 (Note our new date!)
The Metropolitan Pavilion, South Pavilion
128 West 18th Street
NYC 10011

Due to overwhelming feedback that we’ve received from the LREI community, the School will be hosting just one auction each school year on a trial basis for the next two years. The Big Auction will be held in March of 2009 and the Art Auction is scheduled to take place during the 2009-2010 school year. :ast week, you should have received a letter in the mail, along with a donation form. Our goal this year is to have every parent solicit one item for the auction…we hope that you will join us in realizing this goal! If you have any questions or would like to discuss a potential donation, please contact Jenn at jenn_espo@msn.com or Mamie at mamie.mcindoe@gmail.com. If you prefer, you can also contact the Office of Advancement. Pippa can be reached at 212-477-5316 x236 or pgerard@lrei.org, and Sandra at 212-477-5316 x275 or ssong@lrei.org. Thank you in advance for your support!

8) For updates on faculty performances, openings, presentations, and publications visit the Faculty in the News page on the school web site.

9) LREI is a member of NYC-Parents in Action (NYC-PIA). NYC-PIA provides parenting education, information and a communications network to help parents prepare their children and teenagers to cope with social pressures and to make sound choices towards a future free of alcohol and drug abuse. Please read the attached flyer to view their 2008-2009 calendar. You can also access their website at http://www.parentsinaction.org/.

  • November 11, 2008
    An Expert’s Guide to Negotiating the Prickly Points of the ‘Tween Years
    Temple Israel, 112 East 75th Street, 12:00-2:00 pm
    Speaker: Julie Ross, M.A., Executive Director and Founder of Parenting Horizons; Author of “Practical Parenting for the 21st Century: The Manual You Wish Had Come With Your Child” and “How to Hug a Porcupine: Negotiating the Prickly Points of ‘Tween Years”

For all grades . . .
1) Next Saturday is the city-wide Fall It’s My Park! Day 2008 where thousands of New Yorkers volunteer in their neighborhood park. As we do each year for this event, we will turn our attention taking are of Little Red Square. We will be doing planting and planning for the construction of new barriers for the tree pits. Come for an hour or several hours. If your child (and you) are interested in joining us please let Gabrielle Keller (gkeller@lrei.org) know.

2) Retakes and individual and class pictures for the fifth and sixth grade will be taken on Tuesday, November 18th. If you want your child to do a retake, please contact me directly at msilberberg@lrei.org. You will receive proofs in the mail directly from Coffee Pond and can choose which photograph you like best. All orders will be placed online using the Coffee Pond website. If you have any questions about ordering, you can email Coffee Pond at lifeguards@coffeepond.com or call 800.635.2323 between 9AM and 5PM on weekdays.

For Seventh and Eighth Grade Families . . .
1) As outlined in the handbook, seventh and eighth graders who want to leave the building after dismissal and then return to use the library or lab must have a signed permission form. Click here to download the form.

For Eighth Grade Families . . .
1) From Phil: I want to extend an invitation to you to join a tour of the High School this month. We are hosting two opportunities for eighth grade parents to tour our classrooms and see our students and teachers in action. Tours are Friday, October 17th and Monday, October 27th, and begin at 9AM. If you are unable to make one of these dates, please contact Director of Admissions Samantha Caruth at scaruth@lrei.org or at extension 305. Samantha can arrange a visit for a time that is more convenient for you. In addition to the morning tours, we also invite LREI eighth grade students and parents to attend the High School Open Houses. The open houses provide a forum for students and parents to speak directly with faculty and students about curriculum and program in the High School. The evening events are scheduled for Thursday, October 23rd and Monday, November 3rd. Both open houses will start at 6:30PM. We hope you will join us for one of these visits, and see the High School as the right next step for your son or daughter. Please don’t hesitate to contact Mark, Ruth or me with any questions.

2) While the trip to DC is not until the spring, please use the attached form to register your child for the trip. If you have questions about payment, please do not hesitate to contact me.

For Seventh Grade Families . . .
1) Please make sure that your child arrives to school by 8:00AM on Monday so that the bus for Williamsburg can leave on time. Please read the attached itinerary,packing list and permission form and complete and return the permission form if you have not done so already.

For Sixth Grade Families . . .
No updates.

For Fifth Grade Families . . .
1) Save the date: Please join us on Monday, October 20th at 8:00AM in the cafeteria for our Fifth Grade Math Breakfast. This event, which will be hosted by fifth grade math teacher Ana Chaney and Middle School math teachers Margaret Andrews and Michelle Boehm, will provide an excellent orientation to the structure of the fifth grade math program. You will have an opportunity to engage in a number of activities that will help you to better understand how instruction unfolds, to hear more about the program, and to ask questions. Please RSVP to Mark at at msilberberg@lrei.org if you plan to attend.

2) On Thursday, November 13th, the fifth grade will visit the Met to view their Ancient Near East collection. Students will need to bring a lunch on this day (no nuts, seeds, and glass bottles).

===============For additional information, follow these links: ===============

  • View important middle school dates here.
  • View all events with the LREI On-line Calendar
  • LREI Athletics. For general LREI Athletics news go to this link . This page will provide general announcements, game summaries, league standings and season recaps.
  • Click here to view the Middle School Photo Gallery.

A reminder that the individual homework blog and the “feeds” for every class can be accessed from the Digital Classroom link on the sidebar (you may want to bookmark this page for easy access). These feeds provide an easy “one-click” solution to find out what has been assigned for homework. Keep in mind that a feed will only show what has been posted as of the time you check it.

Don’t forget to check the LREI website for updates and other interesting school-related information.

Be well,
Mark

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